Shall I Stay?
by Irrational-Situations
Summary: "I hope I never see Dallas Winston again, if I do... I'll fall in love with him." After that night at the drive-in, Cherry's and Bob's relationship seems to be going downhill, and, for some reason, she seems to be seeing a lot more of Dallas Winston than she would've expected or liked. She's a soc, and he's a greaser, it's nothing that could ever work out or be good though. Right?
1. Chapter 1

It was a typical Soc home; neatly furnished with all the necessities that a home could need, including both furniture and a loving family, who seemed perfect and straight from the cookie cutter, just as they should've. Both the mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, were dressed nicely for a banquet, that of which Mr. Edwards would be receiving an award of honor for whatever it was that he did, and Mrs. Edwards would giggle with the rest of the wives and gossip, boasting about how her husband was better than the rest; subtly but effectively, just in that way that women could do just right. The children, Molly and Mark, were already in their pajamas, sitting on the sofa with their feet dangling as they listened to their parents lay down the rules just as they did every Friday night, "Cherry's in charge, you have an hour 'til bed time; be good. We love you."

The babysitter, Cherry Valence, with her red curls that gave her the nickname, stood in the doorway dressed in a cream colored cardigan over a blouse, with a maroon pleated skirt to tie the outfit together, and watched as she did every Friday as Molly and Mark hopped up from the couch and hugged and kissed their parents goodbye and goodnight, until they saw them again in the morning. Mr. Edwards turned to Cherry, wearing a kindhearted smile and patted her shoulder before walking out the door. Mrs. Edwards was at his heels, but turned around, her blond hair falling from its complicated bun as she pointed back at her.

"There's snacks in the fridge if you get hungry, sweetie. The number's by the phone, as always. Call if you need anything."

"No need to worry, Mrs. Edwards." Cherry smiled and shooed her off. "I've got everything under control."

That seemed to subdue the worried mother, and she made her way out to the awaiting car—A nice, expensive car that was still family oriented—then drove off into the night with her husband, to a night full of fine dining and dancing and showing off just how perfect they were. Luckily, the children were angels, at least for when Cherry was there. She took her seat on the sofa and Molly curled up under her arm, being only four, where Mark went off to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk, being nine and very assertive about his independence. Babysitting was a piece of cake, something that Cherry didn't mind doing at all; not that she had to do much with it anyway. She didn't need the money much either, though this was her daddy's way of showing her how to make her own way for herself for life, to be independent, much like how Mark was already showing the qualities of.

"Are you alright out there?" Cherry called, shifting so not to disturb Molly, who was falling asleep with her head on the babysitter's lap.

"Sure am!" Mark called back, holding a tall glass of milk as he walked back into the living room, being mindful not to let any spill. Cherry watched him cautiously as he placed the glass down on the coffee table and kneeled down beside it to take a sip from over the top, since it was completely full to the rim. "I know how to do it myself"

"I never doubted that," Cherry said with a smile and ran her fingers through Molly's hair. "Finish that up though, you hear? You've got to get to bed soon."

Once the milk was finished and the glass found its way to the sink, Cherry cradled Molly in her arms and followed Mark upstairs to their shared bedroom, that of which she read him a story and tucked him on, as if she were a mother-in-training, and wished them both a goodnight before retreating downstairs. The best part about babysitting, for Cherry at least, was the kids. They were so innocent and sweet, that their only opinions on the world were which colors were better and how funny Mickey Mouse was. There was no Soc or Greaser wars between little kids, and that's what made Cherry both admire and envy their way of life.

She never really thought much on that before, not until that night at the drive-in. It was like any other night really, where her boyfriend Bob had gotten himself drunk and tried pushing alcohol onto her, something Cherry blatantly refused and shoved him away as he tried to peer pressure her more. She took her best friend Marcia, who was fairly new to Tulsa having only moved their a few years back, and went to go sit in the chair section of the drive-in, the area usually reserved for Greasers and car-less people. That night she'd met three of the nicest boys she ever thought she would, as well as a boy who wasn't so nice, but she wouldn't dwell on him too long, that made her think about how unfair they had it, where how not-so-different the two opposing sides were. Before, she was almost like a child, naïve in how bad the other side had it, but now her eyes opened, and she didn't like it all too much.

Curling back up on the sofa, Cherry folded her legs underneath her and turned on the TV as some rerun concert of the Beatles was playing. Boy, did she love the Beatles. Their accents were so gorgeous and they themselves were gorgeous, but those songs that they sang were so meaningful and lovely, and Cherry wouldn't deny having a few posers of them, as well as records of theirs, being such a big fan. She could sit and listen to them for hours, and she would've all night if there wasn't a knock on the door.

Blinking, Cherry wondered if the Edwards' were home already, if one of them got sick or something like that, and forgot their key. She stood abruptly and made her way over to the door, opening it up to see a familiar, handsome face staring back at her from behind the screen. The boy was a lot to look at, and gave her a charming smile as he reached to pull back the screen door and greet her with a kiss, that of which she barely had time to return, her eyes blinking in surprise.

"Bob, what on earth are you doing here?" she questioned, folding her arms as she looked over Bob, her boyfriend, who was dressed in madras and flood pants, with his hands now in his pockets as he made a little face.

"I came to see my girlfriend, have you seen her?" he asked, a hint of coyness to his tone as he fingered a lock of her red hair that made Cherry roll her eyes at him. "I heard she had a house to herself and was looking for me."

"You heard wrong." Cherry responded. Usually, this type of gesture would be cute, or romantic, but ever since that night at the drive-in she'd been none too pleased with Bob. Maybe it was because of the way he acted with her, or maybe it was the way he'd acted towards those nice greaser boys that helped keep her and Marcia safe, either way she hadn't been feeling what they used to have since. "The kids are sleeping, Bob, and I'm not supposed to have boys over."

"I'll be gone before their parents get back, I promise." He gave a charming smile, that of which she'd easily swooned for before, and still had a little bit of an effect on her. She ended up caving and let him in, smiling a little as she followed him over to the sofa.

"You better." She warned and sat beside him, curling up under his arm and resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close.

He was warm. He was always so warm, which was something Cherry always liked about him. She usually felt safe under his arm, and this time was no exception. She leaned her cheek up as he kissed it, after he'd kissed the top of her head then her forehead, and turned as he lifted her chin and pressed their lips together. She kissed him back, although it lacked the spark they used to have. There was a time where she felt so giddy when he touched her, when he kissed her, and now it was almost a routine. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy it; it just wasn't as exciting as it used to be.

"What's wrong now, Cherry?" He must've noticed her lack of interest, to which she just shrugged and shook her head.

"Nothing," she assured, though she wasn't so assured herself.

She stroked his cheek out of habit, brushing her thumb over his lip, which, in turn, made him grin at her and lean in to kiss her again. It was fine, the kiss. Bob was an exceptional kisser, so it had nothing to do with his lips. It was him. It was the way that he treated those greaser boys; how he glared at Ponyboy, sneered at Two-Bit, and the way he had poor Johnny shaking in his battered sneakers just from his presence. She knew he was the one who gave Johnny that scar on his cheek, as soon as Ponyboy mentioned it was a boy with rings. Bob was so prideful with those rings, though he had given her one to wear, to signify that she was his girl. Naturally, she took it, but that was before she became so involved with the way things were, before she came to realization that the Socs weren't as great as they so claimed.

When Bob's hands began to wonder, that's when Cherry drew the line. He whined and complained, but she had her foot set down good. She was a good girl, with a good reputation, and his hands weren't going to ruin that for her. She couldn't help but think it would've been different if it wasn't him. Maybe she wouldn't mind so much if Bob didn't infuriate her so much anymore, if he hadn't changed from that golden boy she saw him as, to just another rough-housing, social status abuser who picked on people just because they had less money than he was. Maybe she gossiped about girls like that too, but the greaser girls were different. They were all trashy, at least the ones that she saw at school, and not only because of the way they dressed; they were loose in morals. That was something Cherry would never be.

"I think it's time for you to leave." She said sternly.

"Baby, you're kidding me."

"I'll see you tomorrow," she sighed and faced away from him.

His exit was childish and he knocked something over on the way. She knew it was a bad idea sending him off like that, and she knew that he was probably on his way to go get drunk with his friends now, and go meet up with other girls who weren't so moral as Cherry was. When she saw him again, he'd probably have a nice big mark on his neck with some lame excuse to how he'd gotten it, and Cherry would brush it off as always, because she just wanted him so much. But did she?

Running a hand through her hair, Cherry stood and made her way out to the kitchen. Soon enough, the phone was in her hand and she was dialing the number to Marcia's house, hoping she was still home.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright, so what do you think so far? I've got the first… Five chapters planned out, and will hopefully update at least once a week (there will be more than five chapters by the way, I just need to plan the rest). Yes, the pairing is DallasxCherry, though there is some BobxCherry (though you can read her interest in him is fading); Two-BitxMarcia will also be a pairing, and maybe others, we'll see. I love feedback (constructive criticism is welcomed, though please don't flame me; I would never do something like that to another writer), so if you have anything to say, please just let me know. Thanks 3 Also, the rating may change, I'm not sure yet.

By the way, **I am NOT S.E.** **Hinton **so I do not own the Outsiders or the characters. I do own the Edwards family though, and the plot (wherever that's going, we'll see.).


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It wasn't an unusual thing for a sixteen year old girl to settle into a kitchen chair, twirling her fingers around the corkscrew curls of the phone cord while she gossiped to her girl friend about one thing or another. With the children asleep up in their bedroom, Cherry found herself in that position, with the phone pressed to her ear and cheek as she listened to the dial tone to signal it was ringing.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end answered.

"Marcia, hey, it's Cherry."

And that was all it took for the two girls to suddenly melt against their speakers and start talking as if they were picking up from a conversation they left off mid-sentence earlier that day. It was easy to talk to Marcia, because she was Cherry's best friend, and that didn't go without reason. She was there with Cherry the night at the drive-in, and sat with her while their boyfriends were off doing god knows what, and they chatted with the group of greaser boys who just so happened to change their lives. Ponyboy was such a sweetheart, with that dreamy tone to his voice that followed whatever he said. Johnny was real brave, especially for the way he stuck up to Dallas for her, though he had a shy quality about him too. Then there was Two-Bit, he was Marcia's favorite, Cherry could just tell by the way they hit it off so easily. Somehow, even though she didn't find some of the things he said too funny, though she couldn't deny he was a real riot, Marcia giggled at everything he said. Their sense of humor was intact, and that was something new she learned about her best friend.

It was easy to talk to Marcia about anything, even before they ran into those greaser boys, and opened their eyes more to the world. Not that they knew everything now, Cherry knew that wasn't the case, they were just more enlightened by the way the boys were. They weren't as different as she thought beforehand. Before all of that, before when they were both happy and snug under the arms of their boyfriends- Bob for Cherry, that charming leader of a guy who she fell so hopelessly for; Randy for Marcia, who was sweet and gentle with her, who Cherry caught whispering to her from time-to-time, making Marcia giggle just as she did openly with Two-Bit—she still felt like she could tell Marcia anything.

Marcia was a sweet girl with a short, dark bob and a contagious giggle. She was a little shorter than Cherry, and a little rounder in the face, but she was practically made up of all things nice. Cherry thought that was because Marcia wasn't originally from around Tulsa, and that the Soc-Greaser feuds weren't so bad where she lived, to where she was friends with just about everyone. It took some adjusting to collect her to the Soc side, and Cherry always thought she was silly for even thinking about going around to the east side of town. Sure, she still thought it was plenty silly, but it didn't seem as such an unrealistic thing anymore.

"You're so lucky I wasn't feeling well tonight," Marcia went on, crinkling something from the other end that Cherry could just faintly hear. "Janet and I were going to go shopping."

"You would've been home by now." Cherry smiled at her friend; though sweet, she could be a little ditzy.

"I could've slept over."

"Well, lucky for me that you're sick."

Marcia just laughed; nothing spectacular or as loud as her giggling, but a laugh all the same.

"Bob stopped by," Cherry started. The silence from the other end was an 'Okay, go on,' and so Cherry shared her story.

She felt something like a bad person when she was describing everything. The way she talked of Bob was almost scornful, though she knew he wasn't so bad. He was the boy she stayed up late talking to on the phone after their dates; the boy who she bandaged up on her sofa after her parents went to bed because he got himself roughed up in a fight. Bob was the boy with the gorgeous smile who had everyone melt and stumble over their feet just to get it directed their way, but Cherry always had a hunch that that smile was meant just for her. When she thought of him, she just couldn't feel that way though. When she thought of him, she thought of Ponyboy and Johnny and that nasty scar still fresh on Johnny's puppy dog face. She loved Bob, or at least she thought she had the potential to love Bob. Maybe they were just at a rut in their relationship.

"I broke up with Randy." Marcia said as Cherry finished, leaving a little pause, just the right amount of time before she spoke. Her voice was almost quiet, though there was some sort of smile hinting at her words, something dangerous.

"Two-Bit called you?" Cherry asked, as if that was the only explanation she could muster as why her friend would do such a thing. Randy wasn't a bad guy either, he was Bob's best friend so it was only natural for him and Marcia to pair up. Honestly, Cherry liked Randy, as a friend. He was the kind of level-headed guy Bob needed as a right-hand man.

"No," Marcia said, that smile to her voice growing wider. "But I'm waiting on it. Maybe I can get him to give your number to that Ponyboy kid, after he calls me up. Golly did that boy look at you like you were some sort of movie star, Cherry!"

"Oh, Marcia... I don't know." Cherry bit her lip and remembered Ponyboy.

His greased back, light brown nearly red hair, and those grey-green eyes that sparkled as he talked; he was so in touch with everything he talked about. He had such passion. Cherry liked that about a guy, that they were passionate about something, anything; if they could talk forever and keep a conversation about something they were passionate about, Cherry found herself drawn to them. With Bob, well Bob was passionate about life, and that's what made him so interesting. Ponyboy was passionate about fiction and family, she was sure he could've written a book right then and there about his brother Sodapop. His eyes had seen things no fourteen year old should go through, what with his parents dying and the constant threat of being thrown in a boys' home, then to top it all off, getting jumped just for the way he wore his hair. But, it was just that. He was just a fourteen year old boy, even if he was wiser in age, he was still pretty young, and he was still a greaser.

A blond came to mind. A blond with ice cold blue eyes and a smirk that had her arms erupt with goose bumps, despite her sweater and despite the warm, August air that came in through the opened windows. She could feel that blonds' arm around her and his warm, cigarette stained breath against her cheek; tickling her ear. His voice was so low, husky, that it made her cheeks feel warm, but her eyes narrow as it got too fresh. Her eyes narrowed now too, glaring at a specific tile on the kitchen floor for no good reason other than Dallas Winston. Why on Earth would her mind think to wonder to him?

"Hello? Anyone still awake over here?"

"Marcia, I've got to go."

Hanging up the phone, Cherry stood and pushed her chair in before she made her way back to the living room. Time sure flew, and sure enough the Edwards couple was standing in the doorway; Mrs. Edwards' shawl draped haphazardly over her shoulders, her hair down in wisps around her neck, no longer in that complicated bun, while Mr. Edwards had his bowtie undone and a bittersweet smile on his face as he admired the golden award in his hands.

"She's awake after all, Frank." Mrs. Edwards said with a smile as she clasped her hands together. "How were my angels?"

"They lived up to the name, for sure." Cherry nodded.

"Fantastic. Frank, pay her. You have a good one, Miss Valance." There was a drunken undertone to Mrs. Edward's voice as she sang her way up the steps. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight to you too."

Mr. Edwards fished in his wallet for Cherry's pay, and she took it graciously once it was handed to her. She put the money in her purse once she picked that up, and declined the offer of a ride home as the words left Mr. Edwards lips. He seemed like he had a bit to drink as well, and his eyes couldn't pry away from that award for the life of him, so Cherry believed she imposed on their house long enough and took her leave. She lived only a good few blocks away anyway.

It was late and the neighborhood was quiet just as it usually was. The lights in most houses had already flickered off, and once Cherry reached the sidewalk, so did the lights in the Edwards house. The street lamps were her candles and the stars in the sky were her guide. She thought of Ponyboy again, and his affinity to sunsets. Maybe he had a liking for the stars too. They were awfully pretty. They sparkled and glimmered against the black asphalt of the sky; an endless street to places uncharted and unknown. The moon was like a magnet, keeping them all in place. When she was with her friends, she never got the chance to really look up at the sky, to revel in the beauty of the stars and the moon, or even the sunsets sometimes, but the colors were so pretty.

She passed a diner which was on the cusp of both sides, that had a gaggle of kids standing outside, laughing and joking about one thing or another, but Cherry paid them no mind. She knew not all greasers were bad, she knew that because of the three boys she met at the drive-in, but there was just that inkling of prejudice that clung to her mind for when she saw the kids all greased up in leather and denim, with their girls wearing their skirts too short. She just avoided it though; it wasn't any of her business. At least not until she felt hot breath against her ear.

"Ain't it a bit passed your bedtime?"


End file.
